Rega - Planar 3 Turntable

Rega’s most decorated turntable: double brace technology, a 12mm Optiwhite platter and the RB330 arm — the culmination of 35 years of tonearm design.

The Planar 3 is the deck most people cross-shop, and it has taken What Hi-Fi?’s Product of the Year in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024. The current version was a ground-up redesign led by Roy Gandy over two years, carrying over just two components from the outgoing RP3.

The structural advance is double brace technology: a stiffening brace linking the tonearm mounting directly to the main bearing housing, so the two ends of the cartridge-and-record system are held rigidly relative to one another. Everything else steps up with it — a 12mm polished-edge Optiwhite glass platter against the Planar 2’s 10mm, and a redesigned brass main hub bearing.

The RB330 tonearm is what you are really paying for. Rega calls it the culmination of more than 35 years of tonearm design: a low-mass aluminium tube with mass intelligently redistributed along its length, a redesigned vertical bearing housing with increased stiffness, hand-selected bearings with no measurable free play, and a Rega-made low-capacitance phono cable terminated in Neutrik plugs.

Two points that dealers routinely get wrong, so we will be explicit. The Planar 3 does not include a cartridge as standard — the Nd3 and Nd5 are factory-fitted options, and you can equally buy it bare and fit your own. And the Neo PSU is not included; the deck has the mini-DIN socket for it, but without one you still change speed by lifting the platter and moving the belt.

Features

• Double brace technology tying the tonearm mounting to the main bearing housing
• RB330 tonearm with hand-selected bearings showing no measurable free play
• 12mm polished-edge Optiwhite float glass platter
• Redesigned brass main hub central bearing
• 24V low-noise, low-vibration motor with improved control PCB
• Mini-DIN input for the optional Neo PSU, which adds electronic speed change and 0.01 RPM fine adjustment
• Rega low-capacitance phono cable with Neutrik plugs; 100g mild steel balance weight
• What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year seven times
• Cartridge optional — Nd3 or Nd5 factory-fitted, or buy it bare

Specifications

• Type: Belt-drive turntable with tonearm; cartridge optional
• Plinth: High-gloss acrylic laminated with Rega’s double brace technology, bracing between the tonearm mounting and the main bearing for improved rigidity
• Platter: 12mm Optiwhite float glass with polished edge
• Bearing: Redesigned brass main hub central bearing with improved fit and construction
• Motor: 24V low-noise, low-vibration with improved control PCB
• Speed Change: Manual as standard — remove the glass platter and move the belt between the 33-1/3 and 45 wheels of the pulley. Electronic speed change is available by adding the optional Neo PSU via the mini-DIN socket
• Power Supply: Wall supply as standard. The Neo PSU is an optional extra and is NOT included — only the Planar 3 RS Edition includes one
• Tonearm: Hand-assembled RB330 with redesigned vertical bearing housing, integrated arm clip and 100g mild steel balance weight
• Tonearm Bearings: Hand-selected, with almost friction-free movement and no measurable free play
• Tonearm Geometry: Effective mass 11g; effective length 236.5mm; mounting distance 222mm from platter centre to arm hole centre; offset angle 21.55°; overhang 14.5mm. These figures are shared across the RB220, RB330, RB880 and RB3000
• Arm Height / VTA: Not adjustable. This is deliberate on Rega’s part rather than an omission, and the company states its reasoning plainly: it believes the integrity of the arm fixing to the arm board matters more than the questionable facility of arm height adjustment. Rega’s guidance is that the arm should sit reasonably parallel to the record surface or slightly lower at the mounting, and that its optional 2mm spacers are only needed if the rear of a cartridge fouls the record while playing
• Cartridge: Optional. The Nd3 (moving magnet, elliptical) and Nd5 (moving magnet, nude elliptical diamond) are available factory-fitted. The Planar 3 can also be bought without a cartridge
• Connectivity: RCA phono output, plus mini-DIN for the optional Neo PSU
• Dimensions: 447 x 117 x 360 mm (W x H x D), lid closed
• Weight: 6.0kg
• Finishes: High-gloss white, high-gloss black, high-gloss red, light oak effect
• In the Box: Turntable with RB330 tonearm, clear dustcover, multi-lingual quick start guide, plinth protectors
• Awards: What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024
• Origin: Rega Research Ltd, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Rega’s own wording is that every product is designed and assembled in the UK — assembled rather than wholly manufactured, which is the phrasing we use rather than claiming complete UK component sourcing
• Warranty: Lifetime Limited Warranty against confirmed manufacturing defects. It does not cover wear and tear or parts considered consumable, and unauthorised modification may invalidate it. Rega states cover is contingent on parts remaining available, is not transferable, and is valid only in the country of purchase
• Not Published: Wow and flutter; rumble; speed accuracy; platter diameter
• Note: Rega publishes no wow and flutter, rumble or speed accuracy figure for any turntable in the Planar range. We checked every product page and five downloadable Rega manuals — Rega’s manuals are setup guides rather than datasheets, and contain no measurement section at all. Any such number you see quoted against a Rega deck comes from a third-party magazine test, not from Rega